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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Thomas Molloy

The former Big Brother contestant hoping to swap reality TV for the Town Hall

If Jackie Weaver and Handforth Parish Council have taught us anything, it's that council meetings can be feisty affairs.

Former reality TV star Luke Marsden believes that the 58 days he spent in the Big Brother house back in 2008 would stand him in great stead for the often-confrontational world of being a local councillor.

"I think anybody who watched me will know that I'm not shy when it comes to giving my opinion," the proud Wiganer chuckled.

"I think I would have a much similar approach in the town hall. I think that's what's needed."

Luke, 33, lives in Whelley and is running as a Conservative candidate in his home ward of Aspull, New Springs and Whelley, in May's election.

He originally announced his intentions to run last year but the pandemic put a stop to the elections taking place.

"It was really, really disappointing," Luke said, "but I understand why they had to postpone it.

"It's going to be a different beast this year, campaigning is going to be very limited and I can't really get on people's doorsteps as much as I want to.

"I live in the heart of the ward I'm running in and I definitely think it helps that people know me, whether they like me is a different story!"

BB9 contestant Luke Marsden pictured in 2008 (CT)

In the ward Luke is running, a Conservative party candidate has never been elected.

Last time round, in 2019, Nathan Sweeney only picked up 526 votes, compared to Labour's Christopher Ready, who won the seat with 1,578.

"It's a tough sell, Luke admitted.

"Wigan's a stronghold for Labour and my area has never elected a Conservative councillor.

"I think we need some young blood with some fresh ideas and a new approach."

Despite studying politics at the University of Salford prior to entering Big Brother, Luke said he had no real political ambitions until relatively recently.

He said: "When I was in Big Brother there was a lot of press speculation about me wanting to run as an MP but that wasn't the case.

"It's true that I've been passionate about politics for a long, long time and you can make a real impact at a local level, Jackie Weaver's taught us that!

"I think social media has been a big platform for me and I've tried to use my following to promote local businesses that have been decimated by the pandemic.

"More than that, over the years, I've seen a lot of unhappiness in my area and I love a tweet but I need to put my money where my mouth is and actually do something about it."

Asked what problems he would address first, Luke responded: "These might seem quite minor but they're actually very important - potholes and dog poo."

He added: "The area where you cross Aspull to get into Bolton, the potholes look like the Grand Canyon, they are atrocious."

The local elections are set to take place on May 6.

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